Critters - the other white meat

One of the big changes between Big Buck Hunter II and Big Buck Hunter Pro, was the addition of critters. Other than being immensely gratifying to shoot, those little buggers can really add up to some serious points.

The score value increases with every critter you shoot.

1 Critter = 50 pts.

2 Critters = 100 + 50 = 150 pts.

3 Critters = 150 + 100 + 50 = 300 pts.

4 Critters = 200 + 150 + 100 + 50 = 500 pts.

5 Critters = 250 + 200 + 150 + 100 + 50 = 750 pts.

Mathmatically, that's: critterScore = (n! * 50)

Since a deer averages in score from 100 - 300 pts, getting 5 critters in a single site can almost double your site score. That's some powerful numbers. But like Uncle Ben says: "with great power comes great responsibility". The fools gold of critters can distract you from your way and lead to broken promises. Over the course of a trek or adventure, the most powerful effect on you score is still, by far and away, consistently getting all 3 deer. The power of the perfect streak is the most powerful way to increase your score. And if going after critters prevents you from getting all 3 deer, than they are not worth the points. ONLY GO AFTER CRITTERS IF IT DOESN'T PREVENT YOU FROM GETTING ALL 3 DEER! The critters should just be gravy after you get your 3 deer.

Here's an example:

Method 1: 5 perfect sites - no critters

deer scores = (~150 + ~200 + ~300) = ~650pts

accy bonus = (50% * 3) = 150 pts

-------------------------------------

Base Site Score = 800 pts

Total Score for 1 trek shooting 3 deer + 0 critters at each site:

Base Site Score X 5

+ streak bonuses of 100, 200, 300 and 400

---------------------------------------

Total Score 5 sites = 5000

Method 2: 2 Deer + 4 Critters per site

deer scores = (~150 + ~200) = ~350pts
accy bonus = (50% * 2) = 100 pts

critter bonus = 500 pts
-------------------------------------

Base Site Score = 950 pts

Total Score for 1 Trek shooting 2 deer + critters at each site:

Base Site Score X 5 = 950 x 5 = 4750 pts

-------------------------------------
Total Score 5 sites = 4750

So it's worth more points to consistently get 3 deer at every site with no critters than to get 4 critters at every site but miss the 3rd buck.

Critters are a great way to buff out your score, but don't let them be too big of a distraction.